Here is a guide to how I have set it up in our organisation.
It gives a brief overview of what to watch out for and where I have installed it. Please feel free to correct it or offer any suggestions.
Software installation
Table-1 shows the location of where the software is loaded. This incorporates using more than one V5 Release level on the same Workstation, which allows flexibility whenever a new Release level is to be installed (which is usually customer driven).
+ This structure will also need to be governed by what Service Pack (fix level) that the customer is using, e.g. CATIA-V5 Release 9 Service Pack 5.
+ The limitation here is that when installing a service pack you can choose whether to ôcommitö or ôapplyö it. Once committed, a service pack cannot be removed so if the service pack makes things worse it would mean reinstalling the V5 Release from scratch.
+ You can use the ôapplyö option to only apply a service pack as opposed to committing it. The only restriction to this is that you cannot add a further service pack until the previous is committed.
+ If several customers were using the same release but different service packs the location structure will need to reflect this, which means that Workstation disk space could become a limiting factor (approx. space for V5 HD2 configuration incl. service pack = 710 Mbytes).
+ Every even numbered Service Pack contains updated documentation.
V5 Environments
In V5 there are 2 types of environment - Global and User.
Global environments
1. are visible by all V5 users;
2. represent the different customer environments (comparable to YOUR.env in CATIA-V4);
3. can be managed on a server when located in a NFS directory (i.e in a central location - /central/catia/CATEnv).
User environments
Can be created and managed by users.
Controls need to be put in place to stop users from doing this otherwise users may create/edit models in their own environment which would fall outside of the controls of any Project that they are working on.
This can be done by removing æuserÆ execute permissions on the /usr/catia-V5/<release-level>/<OS-type>/code/bin/CATIAENV, setcatenv, delcatenv and chcatenv commands, e.g. chmod 500 CATIAENV
(The chcatenv command is used to modify environment variables).
Control
CATIA-V5 User Settings û CATReferenceSettingPath Variable
The Global Environments will need further locking down as V5 contains a vast amount of settings (CATReferenceSettingPath Variable). These are akin to user settings and allow users to control the behaviour of a CATIA-V5 session, such as:
+ presentation (background colours)
+ properties (tolerances, units, line styles and widths)
+ environment (what licenses are displayed, available or can be picked up etc)
It is important that all these settings are locked down and made permanent so that:
+ users are unable to modify certain behaviours of a V5 session;
+ it creates/enforces standards, making it easier to support ôuserö problems from an IT perspective.
Note
+ Start up CATIA-V5 in Admin Mode to make changes to the CATREFSettings
+ Modifications to the CATREFSettings are only SAVED when you EXIT Catia-V5, not when clicking OK after each setting change.
These are drawing standards - similar to Customer Project Tables in V4, and should be provided by the customer. These should also be locked down so that users do not corrupt any customer deliverables. As these are project dependant they are stored with the project e.g. /<all catia projects>/<PROJECT>/site/CATREFStandards
Terminology
CatProduct - V5 Assembly
CatPart - V5 Model
CatProductWithinCatProduct - Sub Assembly
Utilities
v5catback - Downgrade a CatPart to a lower V5 Release
1. Insert/mount cdrom
2. ./start ûs
3. Ignore message enter a nodelock license key?
4. Click Next
5. For Destination Directory (e.g. for Release 10) û type in /usr/catia-V5/R10
6. Click Yes for the directory to be created
7. For Environment Directory û type in /central/catia/CATEnv
8. Select Custom to choose what software to install
9. Deselect all foreign languages
10. Select HD2 Configuration
11. Accept the default communication ports of
+ Backbone Process 6666
+ Starting Backbone Automatically 6667
+ Peripheral Device Broker 6668
12. Click Install to start the installation
13. When prompted, insert the second CD and click ok
14. Click FINISHED and check/uncheck the launch now button as required.
NOTES
The installation adds entries to /etc/inetd.conf and /etc/services as follows:
catiav5bb 6666/tcp #Dassault Systemes Communication ports
catiav5run 6667/tcp #Dassault Systemes Communication ports
CATDeviceBroker 6668/tcp #Dassault Systemes Communication ports
LICENSING
1. mkdir ûp /opt/lum/ls/conf
2. cp /central/catia/default_files/Cat-V5/i4ls.ini /opt/lum/ls/conf
3. ln ûs /opt/lum/ls/conf /var/lum (where i4ls.ini is the LUM ini file for floating licenses)
Starting CATIA V5
1. Create the following link in each usersÆ $HOME:
ln ûs /central/catia/CATEnv/CATCDE $HOME/CATCDE
2. Click on the Application Manager Icon on the desktop (the picture of the filing cabinet with the ruler, calculator and pencil).
3. You will see a folder called CATIA. This will contain the Catia V5 application launcher for each Environment you wish to work with. A default environment, e.g. CATIA.V5R9 is automatically created during the installation.
4. To launch V5 using this environment, double click on the CATIA folder and then double click on the CATIA V5R10 icon.
The Following Are Required For Creating a Tar File
/CATCDE /CATEnv /usr/catia-V5/R10 /etc/services /etc/inetd.conf /etc/dt/appconfig /var/lum /opt/lum/ls/conf
AIX Installation
1. Mount cd-rom : mount ûv cdrfs ûr /dev/cd0 /cdrom
2. Create logical volume à.. for V5/R9 req. approx 44 PPÆs for HD2 configuration
3. ./start ûs
4. Ignore message enter a nodelock license key?
5. Click Next
6. For Destination Directory (e.g. for Release 9) û type in /usr/catia-V5/R9
7. Click Yes for the directory to be created
8. For Environment Directory û type in /central/catia/CATEnv
9. Select Custom to choose what software to install
10. Select HD2 Configuration
11. Accept the default communication ports of
+ Backbone Process 6666
+ Starting Backbone Automatically 6667
+ Peripheral Device Broker 6668
12. Click Install to start the installation
13. When prompted, insert the second CD and mount it again !!!
14. Click FINISHED and check/uncheck the launch now button as required.
NOTES
The installation adds entries to /etc/inetd.conf and /etc/services as follows:
catiav5bb 6666/tcp #Dassault Systemes Communication ports
catiav5run 6667/tcp #Dassault Systemes Communication ports
CATDeviceBroker 6668/tcp #Dassault Systemes Communication ports
Starting CATIA V5
1. Create the following link in each usersÆ $HOME:
ln ûs /central/catia/CATEnv/CATCDE $HOME/CATCDE
2. Click on the Application Manager Icon on the desktop (the picture of the filing cabinet with the ruler, calculator and pencil).
3. You will see a folder called CATIA. This will contain the Catia V5 application launcher for each Environment you wish to work with. A default environment, e.g. CATIA.V5R9 is automatically created during the installation.
4. To launch V5 using this environment, double click on the CATIA folder and then double click on the CATIA V5R9 icon.
Creating and Editing Environments
Starting the Environment Editor
There is an interactive tool available for creating and modifying Environments and their variables û the CATIAENV command.
+ This fires up the Environment Editor, from which you can create and delete environments and also view or modify their environment variables.
+ The first time you fire it up it creates the default storage directory for your ôUser Environmentsö in $HOME/CATEnv (in the root userÆs case /CATEnv).
+ Remember that ôGlobal Environmentsö are created and stored in /central/catia/CATEnv. As we do not want to create individual ôUser Environments, we can create a link from /CATEnv to /central/catia/CATEnv as follows:
ln ûs /central/catia/CATEnv /CATEnv
+ The reason for this is that this is where the Environment Editor puts the CDE desktop icons to fire up each individual V5 environment. It is better to store the icons in /central as it is easier to administer. The impact of this is that we do not have to create a CDE icon on each workstation whenever a new V5 environment is created.
However, this will be developed further as I am looking into incorporating all CATIA-V5 Environments into the CDE Workspace Menu.
Creating A New Environment
1. Create the following link to store the desktop icon for the new environment:
ln ûs /central/catia/CATenv/CATCDE /CATCDE
2. click Environment
3. select New
4. Enter the name of the new environment
5. select the ôModeö, i.e Global environment as opposed to User environment.
6. Add the CATCollectionStandard and CATReferenceSettingPath variables.
3. In the General category, click the Document tab.
4. To make the DLNAME environment the current document, select ôDLNameö in the Document Environments column, then select successively the Allowed and Current buttons
5. Click the Configure button to open the ôConfigureö box which lets you add or remove DLNames
